DULUTH - A mother and grandmother were arrested after allegedly taking three children on a back-to-school shoplifting spree Monday.

LLadira Estudillo, 34, and Lilia Lara, 50, are charged with shoplifting after police say they boosted several clothing items from JC Penney at the Gwinnett Place Mall. Estudillo also faces one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to reports, a loss prevention officer first became suspicious when he saw Estudillo tear the tag off a pair of sunglasses and put them on her 13-year-old daughter's head. Police said the family then continued through the store, selecting various merchandise and taking it into fitting rooms.

Reports said the family exited the fitting rooms with what appeared to be fewer items than they took in and left the store without paying for anything. They were then confronted by security personnel. A search of the women's purses revealed two pair of pants, six shirts and a sweater, police said.

Police said Estudillo and Lara admitted to taking clothing items valued at about $245, saying that they needed the clothes but didn't have any money.

"They stated they were sorry and stated that they had never stolen anything before," a Gwinnett police officer wrote in his report.

The children were released to a neighbor, reports said, and the women were taken to the Gwinnett County Jail.

Jail records show that Lara is free on a $3,500 bond while Estudillo remains jailed. Her bond was set at $5,900.